Is 'only using the weight of the razor' true?

rav · Sep 24, 2008

Hello All,

It's been about a week since I switched from using my wilkinson classic to my Merkur HD, which I got through and with excellent customer service from shavingessentials.

Now I have been trying the hints and tips provided in the forum and one that I have come across, is to apply no pressure and let the weight of the razor do the work.

Now if I do that I don't get anywhere near a shave but more of a beard reduction.

Is the 'no pressure' advice true, or is it more 'very light pressure that needs experience to judge needs to be used'?

Thanks,

Rav.

thirdeye · Sep 24, 2008

I've always told newbies very little to no pressure. I find a little goes a long way. Remember, angle has a lot to do with it as well. Each razor is just a bit different. You just need to feel it out for yourself.

lamontqsanford · Sep 24, 2008

You will find that a little pressure is fine and you will definately know when you use too much pressure (from the blood). Another consideration is too what feels comfortable. I have some slims that require a great deal more pressure than my combed gillette bostonian. Practice a little but be careful. Good luck

Mr. Beaver · Sep 24, 2008

The only pass that you could only use the weight of the razor would be a north-south pass (basically completely vertical from top to bottom). Any other direction and you're going against gravity, so you need some force in a direction different than the weight of the razor.

OldSaw · Sep 24, 2008

lamontqsanford said:
You will find that a little pressure is fine and you will definately know when you use too much pressure (from the blood). Another consideration is too what feels comfortable. I have some slims that require a great deal more pressure than my combed gillette bostonian. Practice a little but be careful. Good luck

You can still do a lot of damage long before there is any blood. You don't want to go scraping through your skin. Especially when shaving ATG, you only want the blade cutting through the whiskers, not pushing the skin up behind the blade, causing the skin to get chafed or nicked. My best shaves are very smooth and my skin is intact with no irritation. I can't get that with any more than enough pressure to keep the blade in contact with my skin.

tclevela · Sep 24, 2008

rav said:
Hello All,

Now if I do that I don't get anywhere near a shave but more of a beard reduction.

Thanks,

Rav.

You are shaving correctly because you only want beard reduction. That is why people on Badger & Blade talk about how many passes people use during shaving. Generally people make three passes. Meaning lather your face and shave. Lather again and shave. Lather again and shave. Some people even go with a fourth pass. It isn't about pressure it's about repetition.

uberlegit · Sep 25, 2008

rav said:
Is the 'no pressure' advice true, or is it more 'very light pressure that needs experience to judge needs to be used'?

I always find I get my best shaves if I grip the razor about halfway up the handle, using only my fingertips. This gives me adequate control and dampens my ability to apply pressure.

The 'no pressure' advice, at least in my experience, is dead on. You want to cut through the whiskers at various angles, not try to mow them down in a single sweep.

Kazeryu · Sep 25, 2008

Consider that razors differ in both balance points and actual weight, and that different people will hold the same razor in different spots, so 'letting the weight of the razor do the work' can be sort of misleading IMO.

When in doubt - ease off, and go slow.

of course, I'm pretty new myself.

stevensj2 · Sep 25, 2008

It's a give and take thing, and there is a relationship between angle and pressure. Comfortable angles are more forgiving to pressure than aggressive ones.

Once you learn a particular razor, blade, and how they work on your face, you can get a 1-pass shave routine down.

You will have to use pressure, but it will always vary on angle and the area of the face.

For me in particular, I find I can use almost any angle and pressure combination on my cheeks (of my face guys!) and not worry. My chin and neck are different, and require light pressure, or else I'll be bleeding.

My biggest mistakes are becoming too confident and comfortable during a shave, and it always results in using too much pressure and trying to get too smooth too fast on my neck.

micway71 · Sep 25, 2008

stevensj2 said:
It's a give and take thing, and there is a relationship between angle and pressure. Comfortable angles are more forgiving to pressure than aggressive ones.

Once you learn a particular razor, blade, and how they work on your face, you can get a 1-pass shave routine down.

You will have to use pressure, but it will always vary on angle and the area of the face.

For me in particular, I find I can use almost any angle and pressure combination on my cheeks (of my face guys!) and not worry. My chin and neck are different, and require light pressure, or else I'll be bleeding.

My biggest mistakes are becoming too confident and comfortable during a shave, and it always results in using too much pressure and trying to get too smooth too fast on my neck.

That is the problem I have as well and getting my stache area is a royal pain to get right!!

Hoos · Sep 25, 2008

Yes, you let the weight of the razor do the work. There are other important factors, but the more pressure you apply, the more damage you do to your skin.

You're not shaving your skin. You're shaving your beard. Ergo, "beard reduction".

Ramaniac · Sep 26, 2008

No. I think you only get 3-4 passes before your face complains. Push much less than you do with a cartridge, but still apply pressure.

studman46 · Sep 26, 2008

The mantra of 'NO PRESSURE' is confusing to many just starting out. You have to use some light pressure to hold the razor against your face so it doesn't skip, pull, and nick. You can use more pressure on cheeks than neck. More than 3 passes and you're setting yourself up for irritation. Each pass reduces your beard but also takes another micro layer of epidermis with it. Use only a couple light passes on neck to start till you have your particular beard growth mapped out...XTG in different directions or XTG, ATG. It will all come together with practice. A good, well hydrated lather is half the secret. NEVER SHAVE OVER AN UNLATHERED AREA. Good luck and keep us posted.

sandpaper · Sep 27, 2008

rav said:
Is the 'no pressure' advice true, or is it more 'very light pressure that needs experience to judge needs to be used'?

You nailed it right there. You do need to apply some pressure to keep the blade against your face or neck, but it is so slight compared to an electric or cartridge that the mantra of No Pressure works. As others have said, your grip, razor, blade, and face will determine how much is best- but in all cases, we are talking very very little pressure.

rav · Sep 28, 2008

Thanks a lot guys for the very valuable input.

I don't enjoy shaving, even with the Merkur HD, but I hate having anything more than two days of growth, and I can now get a reasonably good shave with the HD without any razor burn. I have to admit though with the mach3 I would go a week between shaves.

I must admit I would like, nay love, to speed up my shaving time and I'll need to see whether that is to use a little extra pressure, or increase my shave frequency from every two days to everyday, so that I need less passes.

I do remember with the mach3 getting huge razor burn and infact having to put ice on my face to cool it down. With the DE it's amazing the difference, in fact so much so, that I think that I must have been doing something wrong and in a month or so, might give the mach3 a go again, just to see.

I had a shave today and am going to see if I shave tomorrow, whether that will speed up my shave. If I could get it less than 10 minutes that would be ideal and I'd be buying a back up HD and keeping the mach3 just for times that I need to fly.

Eagle · Sep 28, 2008

rav said:
Thanks a lot guys for the very valuable input.

I don't enjoy shaving, even with the Merkur HD, but I hate having anything more than two days of growth, and I can now get a reasonably good shave with the HD without any razor burn. I have to admit though with the mach3 I would go a week between shaves.

I must admit I would like, nay love, to speed up my shaving time and I'll need to see whether that is to use a little extra pressure, or increase my shave frequency from every two days to everyday, so that I need less passes.

I do remember with the mach3 getting huge razor burn and infact having to put ice on my face to cool it down. With the DE it's amazing the difference, in fact so much so, that I think that I must have been doing something wrong and in a month or so, might give the mach3 a go again, just to see.

I had a shave today and am going to see if I shave tomorrow, whether that will speed up my shave. If I could get it less than 10 minutes that would be ideal and I'd be buying a back up HD and keeping the mach3 just for times that I need to fly.

If this is what you're shooting for then I would think two wtg passes should about do it. That will knock down the whiskers enough to give you a 'shaved' look, cut down on shave time and should be well within the safety zone for no irritation. You may not get the smoothest results but it will be a passable shave.

tvphotog · Sep 28, 2008

I get nicks and weepers when I use any pressure. These rules aren't made to be broken.

rickw · Sep 28, 2008

Putting pressure on the blade is pressing the exposed edge of the blade against the skin. It will cut and then slice as you move the blade.

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Is 'only using the weight of the razor' true?

rav

thirdeye

lamontqsanford

Mr. Beaver

OldSaw

The wife's investment

tclevela

uberlegit

Kazeryu

stevensj2

micway71

Hoos

Ramaniac

studman46

sandpaper

rav

Eagle

tvphotog

rickw

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